Murphys Law
by Lil-Hellraiser
Summary: Ivy isn't appreciated back home and needs a fresh start don't they always…getting pushed into Middle Earth in a freak swimming accident wasn't exactly what she had in mind…BoromirOC. CHAPTER 4 UP!
1. Two Bitches and a Witch

Murphy's Law

Summary: Ivy isn't appreciated back home and needs a fresh start (don't they always?) …getting pushed into Middle Earth in a freak swimming accident wasn't exactly what she had in mind… Boromir/OC

This fic is one that has a kind of moral to it at the end. It teaches you (I hope) that life has those little twists and unexpected turns, and you need to be prepared for all of them. I have been thinking about writing this for a while, I just needed the motivation to hurry up and finish. So, uh…yeah. Here you are!

::..::

I got to tell you, it's hard admitting that you're wrong. I should know…I'm the most stubborn person on this earth, honestly. I never give in about anything…that alone was bound to catch up with me sooner or later. But anyway, before we get to the actual story, you need to know the basics.

I grew up in a traditional middle-class home, a station wagon in the driveway, the garage filled with tools and old things no one used…a large gray cat that sat on our porch all the time…wasn't ours. I always thought he was there for décor.

I also thought I had life pretty well. Until my mom walked out on us when I was twelve. My sister Holly, who was eighteen at the time, was pretty much our surrogate mother when our dad was overworked or out late. But everyone gets older, and two years later she met Max, and Max was such a great guy that she married him. Med. Student…go figure. She's now quite happy, since she's pregnant. She's really the only one I can talk to, the only one who really gets me. For a while, I couldn't say for sure that I knew many people who I could trust.

My other sister is Daisy, but we all just call her Di. She was fifteen when I was twelve, and pretty much the rebel of our family. She always stayed out late, skipped chores, things like that. My dad basically dumped her drama onto Holly, because he was always out late.

Next was my ten-year-old sis, Fern. Fern is…something. She's extremely energetic, and has a small attention span, and never finds anything interesting than herself and…and she sure knows how to bring someone down.

So get this: After mom left us, dad stayed out. I must have repeated that like ten times. But still, I wondered what he was up to…and then I found out. I was fourteen then. It was a few days after Holly's wedding.

::..::

"Kids," Dad began, looking excited, but pale. Everyone gathered into the small family room, watching him expectantly. A cough came from the far side of the room, and we all turned. A petite, gorgeous blonde was sitting on our dad's favorite chair, smiling secretively. She waved.

"Hello there." She said, looking slightly flustered. We all stared.

"If you were hired for Max's bachelor party, you have no real business being here." Di said flatly. I nearly wet myself at the look of disgust and horror on the woman's face. She did look the part of a…harlot, I must admit. He skirt was too short and her shirt was too tight. The only thing covering her was her fashionable trenchcoat.

"Naomi here is what I've been meaning to speak to you about." Dad said, rising to meet her at his chair. "I've been seeing her." More stares.

"What?" I finally broke. "But…but look at her!" The girl looked at me blankly.

"How old are you?" Fern asked.

"Twenty five." She answered. Di couldn't keep quiet for long.

"She's old enough to be my sister!" She nearly shrieked. "She's old enough to be Holly's sister! How would Holly feel about having a mother who's five years older than she is?"

"I don't think age is much of an issue, here." Dad said stiffly. Fern eyed Naomi wearily.

"I can't imagine where you would have found her." That smart-mouth said off handedly. The woman gave a heated glare.

"The point is, we found each other, and kids…well…"

"We're engaged! Surprise!" Naomi put a large smile on her face and extended her left hand to show the largest rock I had ever seen sitting on her ring finger.

::..::

The witch moved in a few weeks later and the ceremony took place about a month later. Holly refused to even go, and now that she was married, she couldn't really be told what to do. Di, Fern and I on the other hand had no choice. Though we did all troop out to use the restrooms at the time of the 'I Do's'. No, we weren't bridesmaids. Just people in the audience. That –that _woman_ didn't even want us to be bridesmaids or anything. Said we were too young for the dresses. I could understand her feelings about having me and Fern as bridesmaids but Di was seventeen. She should have been, but _no_, Naomi just had to have her sisters and six closest friends be the bridesmaids. All blonde, big chested, the typical stereotype. Those blubbering, giggling females were honestly a disgrace to all blondes everywhere, and that is no lie.

It's not that I have anything against blondes. It's just that now that Naomi moved in, I can't go making wisecracks about blondes. And Fern and Di are blonde too, but not exactly the bleached, fake kind that you could TELL Naomi was. Holly and I are the brunettes in the family.

So now that you're sort of caught up, I suppose I should begin the real story.

::..::

"Hello, sir!" I said smiling brightly. "I'm raising money for the American Cancer Society, and I'm only asking for a small donation for –"

"Do you know what time it is?" The man asked crossly. I checked my watch. Seven-forty p.m.

"Um…" I didn't know what to say. "I'm very sorry to bother you, sir." I said awkwardly. We stood in silence.

"Goodbye!" The man said and shut his door. I stood in shock for a few moment, then trailed down the driveway. I headed towards the street, mumbling.

"Some people are so mean." I said, glancing to the west. The sun wasn't even setting yet! How could it be late? I sighed. I guess I could just go home; that guy had been the last house on my block. I didn't wanna go to any other houses without my friend Kat.

I walked back to my modest little house, half-listening to the sounds of nearby traffic. A sharp wind blew my brown hair into my eyes and I pulled it back with my hand, trying to tame the loose strands. My green eyes narrowed when I saw a familiar woman outside on a lawn chair with my dad, drinking lemonade. As I walked up our long driveway, I heard them laughing like an old Hollywood couple.

"Ivy!" My dad called, waving me over. I shuffled over. Naomi eyed me. I hated the way she did that every time she saw me. It was like she was judging me, like she was grading me on my appearance.

"Did you collect any donations?" He asked, refilling his glass. I nodded.

"Yeah. Mrs. Gould and Mr. Taylor donated ten dollars each, and some lady four houses down gave me a twenty."

"That's good." He said, downing his glass. Naomi rolled her eyes in a very obnoxious and obvious manner. But now that I think about it, it wasn't so obvious. I was no doubt the only one who saw it. Dad never really noticed when she did those little things anyway. I yawned.

"Are you tired, honey? Why don't you go lay down?" She suggested. I turned to my dad, pretending to not have heard her.

"Can I go over to Kat's?" I asked. He frowned.

"Naomi asked you a question." He said. Naomi looked at me expectantly. I looked at her once before stomping inside. A minute later I heard the door slam.

"Why do you always speak to me that way?" Naomi asked, her nostrils flared. I turned to her.

"I hardly speak to you at all!" I nearly shouted. I could not believe that the idiot woman had lived with us for four years now and couldn't take a hint: no one around here liked her. Fern, Di, and I never got along these days and had grown apart since mom left, but we could still count on one fact: we all hated the witch.

"You know, this is what I mean." She said. "I've been trying and trying to get you to like me for all these years, but I don't know what to do anymore! You all resent me, I know it!" I rolled my eyes at her little sob story. I pulled a Mountain Dew from the fridge. I was about to leave the kitchen when she stopped me with some strong words:

"Your father said your mother was like you. Always running away from problems; she wasn't strong enough to handle you all, he said."

I stopped dead in my tracks and whirled around.

"My mom was strong enough." I whispered. "It was dad's fault she left. Not ours." Naomi gave a laugh.

"Right." She said, fiddling with a dishtowel. "As if you all weren't always little monsters."

"No, we weren't." I said, my anger rising. "Note the fact that we never liked you in the first place."

"You little brat!" She said, stepping towards me. "I am your mother and you'll do as you're told! Apologize and go to bed!"

"Witch!" I retorted. "I'm eighteen now, and after graduation I won't have to take any more of your crap cause I'll be long gone!"

"Well good because there is nothing worse than having you or that smart-ass little sister of yours as daughters! No wonder your mother left! And come graduation you'll be just like her! You're going to leave and never come back, taking the easy way out, never –"

I lost control and picked up a glass from the sink. I hurled it with all my might at the ground by her feet and it shattered, just as I had hoped it would. Naomi jumped slightly and stepped backwards. Just then the front door opened.

"Naomi? Ivy? What's going on in there?"

Naomi froze and suddenly smiled sadistically. She placed her toes on the glass and pressed down, and blood trickled from the bottom of her porcelain foot. She bit her lip. My dad entered the kitchen. I had my hands on my hips and was smiling in satisfaction, but I was still sort of puzzled by her reaction to my little tantrum. Suddenly my dad walked over to me and grabbed my shoulders. It was then that I realized what the situation must have looked like.

Oh shi–

My dad shoved me into the counter and I felt a welt almost instantly form from being pushed into a sharp corner. He then walked to Naomi, who was covering her face with her hands and whimpering. The front door opened again.

"Dad, I passed my drivers test!" Fern held up her shiny new license. "We stopped for ice cream along the way home and…" She blinked. Di appeared next to her.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded.

"Your idiot sister threw a glass at me and I'm bleeding!" Naomi blurted out. Di shrugged.

"Oh. Come on Fern." The two walked to the living room. Naomi buried her face into her hands again. She started shuddering and sucking in.

"Shh, shh, you're okay…" Dad comforted her. I clenched my teeth.

"Faker." I muttered. My dad's head shot up.

"Look what you…how the HELL could you do this to her?"

"IT WAS EASY!" I shouted, and picked up a plate. "I THREW THE GLASS LIKE SO," I threw the plate on the floor and it cracked into five pieces. "AND IT SHATTERED LIKE MY EXAMPLE!" I motioned angrily to the plate.

"I will deal with you later!" He roared. "Go get the first aid kit!"

"No!" I shouted and went to the living room. That woman did the littlest things and it made me so angry and upset. And my dad went along with it. That thought alone brought tears to my eyes. Di and Fern were sitting on the sofa, and looked up.

"I'm bleeding, Rick! I'm going to die! I am! I am!" Came Naomi's voice from the kitchen. I rolled my eyes. Fern muttered, 'Here we go,' under her breath and Di made a look that said, 'Now you've done it.' I shrugged. Dad and Naomi passed the living room on the way to the bathroom and I caught the death glare she sent to me. No one spoke until the bathroom door shut.

"What'd you do to her?" Fern asked.

"Exactly what she said." I sat on the couch next to them. I hurriedly wiped a stray tear from my eye.

"My God, are you crying?" Di asked, sitting up straight. "You are such a baby."

"I am not!" I whispered, facing her.

"Only you would cry about something like this." Fern sneered.

"Dad didn't believe me." I said. "I threw the glass and she cut her own foot! The glass never touched her when I threw it!"

"Dad never believes us." Fern said, glancing at her mug shot. She wiped it with her finger and smiled identically to it. "You should be used to it by now."

"I guess I just keep hoping…" I trailed off and looked my sisters in the eyes. They stared back at me.

"What, you going all poetic on us again?" Di asked, grinning in her evil way. I looked down. "You can't just hope. You gotta do something about it."

"You're just such a softie that you never will." Fern finished. "Everyone knows it. You just let people walk all over you."

"No I don't." I said, desperately trying to believe myself. They both patted their boy-cut haircuts in unison. It was then that I realized how beautiful in comparison they were too me. Was that why Naomi always picked arguments with me? Was I too ugly? My sisters noticed my discomfort.

"Like my hair, Hun?" Di asked, flashing her pretty blue eyes. I sat there awkwardly. Before anyone could speak anymore, the bathroom door opened. Footsteps sounded down the hall. The bedroom door opened and shut. Dad appeared in the living room doorway. Di and Fern pretended not to see him.

"Ivy," He motioned me closer with his finger. I hesitantly got up from the comfortable couch and walked over to him.

::..::

Half and hour later I was locked up in my room, sobbing into my pillow, holding myself. I felt insane.

"He loves her more, he loves her more, he loves her more…" I continued to mumble. I moved my head and stared lifelessly down at my pillow. A long red line traced over it. I thought back.

My dad had taken me to the kitchen and demanded that I pick up the glass and the plate. When I had bent down to do so, he kicked the shards and cut my cheek from below my ear to the tender cartilage of my nose. I had looked up and saw a rage that was most definitely NOT my fathers. It was strange…like I had awakened a darker side of him that I didn't know was there.

After he had watched me clean up the glass and the plate, he had practically dragged me to my room by my wrists, me struggling all the way. I supposed that was why my wrists hurt so much. Now, even in the dark, I could see numerous bruises appearing slowly.

I looked at a little cross hanging on my wall. I sat up and began to stare at it, revenge and sadness etched into my face. When I couldn't stare any more I flung myself back into my pillow.

"THERE!" I shouted into it. "YOU'VE WON! YOU ALWAYS WIN, DON'T YOU?" I wasn't sure what I was yelling at, or who. I just know that hearing myself say those words and sound so defeated made me break down once more. I reached down and hurled the nearest thing at the wall: My large copy of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You know, the one that had all three books smushed into one. When it hit the wall, the strangest thing happened: it made no sound. I sniffed and sat up, wondering what happened. I stood on shaky feet and stared at the page it had fallen on.

Chapter VII

Homeward Bound

I peered at the page closer, and touched it. It gave me a small shock when I did, so I pulled my hand back and was suddenly hit with a wave of sleepiness. Wearily watching the book, I slid back into bed and let the throbbing of my small injuries lull me into a disturbed sleep.

::..::

A/N: So how was it? Good, bad, or downright ugly? R & R puh-leeeeeeeeeeze!


	2. Mischief Managed

Murphy's Law

Summary: Ivy isn't appreciated back home and needs a fresh start (don't they always?)…getting pushed into Middle Earth in a freak swimming accident wasn't exactly what she had in mind…BoromirOC

Second chapter up! I KNOW the first chapter was quite dark, but I PROMISE, this one is considerably lighter. I want to thank everyone who liked the first chapter enough to keep reading it, and who will read this chapter as well! Kisses and hugs for you all!

::..::

I woke up to see the sun high in the sky, not a cloud in sight. I found it strange, because I usually woke up when the sky was still dark and…

Shit. I had forgotten to turn my alarm clock back on. I checked the time and nearly had a heart attack. It was already nearly nine. I was over two hours late for school! I pulled my hair back into a quick pony tail, threw on some shorts, a tank top, and sneakers, grabbed my school bag, and bolted for the door. That's when I remembered that it was still locked up.

"Dammit." Didn't Dad remember I was still in here? His snores from his bedroom told me no. On Tuesday mornings he didn't work so he liked being able to sleep in late with Naomi. "HEY!" I yelled, pounding on the door. I heard footsteps, but they weren't from Dad's room.

"Still caged up, I see." Came Fern's voice from the doorway. I nearly growled in frustration.

"Did you ditch again?" I asked her calmly. I heard some shuffling and then a little slurp.

"Woke up late and decided to treat myself to a proper breakfast instead of that eggy crap you always feed us." She said, and I heard the crunching of cereal along with another foul slurp of milk.

"That's gross." I said, but wished I'd never said it because she immediately began slurping some more. "Look, just unlock the door and let me out."

"No can do." She replied, still munching on cereal. "I don't have a key. You're going to have to use the window."

"Can't you just check?" I begged. I didn't want to have to climb out the window; my room was on the second story and that tree next to my room didn't look all that stable to me. I could almost see her shrug and then her footsteps started down the hall, disappearing into the kitchen.

"FERN! FERN! LET ME OUT!" I yelled. After a few minutes I resigned myself and pulled open the window. I looked down and suddenly felt queasy. The drop wasn't unbearably high, but still enough for me to get second thoughts. I didn't wanna be like Pollyanna, you know, when she fell out of that tree and couldn't walk again? That movie still gave me nightmares. I laid my foot onto a branch and tested its durability by pressing more and more of my weight on it, little by little. I threw my bag down to the ground and almost fell out of the tree when I heard a cracking sound. Something in there broke. I sighed and hoisted myself into the tree, praying that it would support my weight.

I almost died when I realized that there were no other sturdy branches nearby. I would either have to maneuver my way through the thorns, clinging to the tree itself, or I could just suck up my courage and jump. Neither seemed appealing. And I would probably look like I'd just been mugged either way.

But after eyeing the thorns and the long tree trunk, I decided that jumping didn't seem too bad. Or at least, worse than I had first made it out to be. I just had to hop down and land on my feet, no sweat, I thought. After a few minutes of mental questioning (mainly praying to God that this was the best choice), I closed my eyes and jumped down.

DO **NOT** CLOSE YOUR EYES WHEN JUMPING FROM A SECOND-STORY WINDOW TO THE GROUND.

Cause when I did, I couldn't see the big tree branch that smacked me in the stomach. Though I suppose it might have been slightly scarier if my eyes were open, cause I could've seen the branch coming at me and I would have been staring at it, waiting for the impact…

The wind was unexpectedly knocked out of me, and the ground was rushing at me at a fast speed. Then I realized that my back was scraping against something. I slightly turned my head to see the wall of the house. I figured that the branch had probably swung me against the house, and now I was sliding down it at a nice pace. But gravity forced my body forward and I fell face-first onto a branch of thorns, which scraped across my neck painfully. I grabbed onto the nearest thing and stopped falling. I peeked open my eyes a little wider to see that I had grabbed onto a smaller branch, and I was weighing it down a lot. My feet weren't far from the ground now. With a huff I let myself drop the small distance, but my legs gave out surprisingly when I touched the earth. I slumped down next to my school bag, feeling sore and beaten.

I touched my neck and found that I shouldn't do that because it stung pretty badly. My back hurt from scraping down the side of the house and my stomach felt as if someone had repeatedly punched me. I cursed the tree.

"Yoo-hoo!" Came a voice from my window. I looked up and my jaw dropped to see Fern grinning at me and waving the key to unlock my room above my head. "You fell pretty hard there!" She laughed. "You just couldn't wait for me to get the key?" She was getting sarcastic now. I was overcome with humiliation and anger. I threw a rock at my window. She ducked it.

"I hate you!" I screamed at her. A man popped his head out of his window, but I didn't notice him yet.

"I hate you!" She mimicked. "Baby!" She hollered. I clenched my teeth and tried to ignore her cruel remarks. I hastily hauled my bag over my shoulder and started down the street, pretending that nothing had happened, that I wasn't late, that life was just fine and dandy as usual. But I felt a pair of eyes on my back.

"Fern, just lay…" It wasn't Fern. It was this guy. He was an old man, with gray hair and a wrinkly face, but what was weirder was that even if he looked old, his eyes looked _older_…you know what I mean? Maybe you just had to see it to get it. One of those things.

I met his stare with a challenging one of my own, but he didn't back off or look offended. On the contrary, he looked ready to smile. The nerve! Could he not see that I was in pain? I shook off a strange feeling in my stomach and hurried to school.

::..::

"Late again, Ivy."

"I know, Mrs. Heart." I said, looking down. I had made it to school just missing the first ten minutes of my third period, physical education.

"You know the punishment for three tardies, Ms. Brooklyn."

"Detention." I said more to myself than to her.

"Only thirty minutes, Ivy. Could you step into my office for a moment?" The other girls and boys in my Coed class whispered and joked to me as I laid down my bag and followed Mrs. Heart to her office.

"Yes?" I asked once she had closed the door.

"What happened, dear?" She asked, putting on a concerned face. "You look like you've been mugged."

Exactly what I was going for, I almost said. But I settled for a casual shrug. "Really?"

"Yes! Did something happen, Ivy?"

I couldn't just say that I had been locked in my room until nine a.m. and then fallen down a tree in an attempt to escape. That would seem…odd, to say the least.

"Well, you see, our neighbor has this dog." I started_. Going for the old chased up a tree story, huh?_ I asked myself. _Shut up_, I reprimanded…me.

"Go on." Mrs. Heart said, noticing my small smile crumble.

"Oh, yes. Well anyway, it's a big dog. Like, Great Dane big, except it was a…a German Shepherd."

"Goodness!" Mrs. Heart gasped. I thanked God that I had such a gullible teacher. "And then…?"

"Well, I woke up late anyway and was running out the door, but you really can't go by my neighbor's house unless you're going to tip-toe or something because that dog just sits on the front porch, no tether or nothing."

"And it chased you?"

"Yeah. All the way back home and up this big tree. I guess I was in such a hurry to get up it that I didn't notice my cuts and things until now," I motioned to my cut neck and my cheek. I could pretend that the cheek cut was from the tree, right?

"Maybe you should see the nurse. You can also sit out of gym today, since we're going to be doing a swimming activity and the water might irritate the wounds…also, it wasn't really your fault that you were late, right? Perhaps you shouldn't have a detention…"

"No, no." I assured her. "I don't need to see the nurse and I can swim, I mean, my injuries aren't as bad as they look…and I'll go to the detention. I was still late after all." Mrs. Heart patted my shoulder and led me out of her office with a small smile. I thought back to my sister's observations from the preceding day. Maybe I did let people walk all over me. _Like a 'welcome! walk all over me' mat, _a little voice said.

I thought I told you to shut up! I mentally shouted. No more from the little voice. I rushed into the locker room and changed into the required swimsuit of our senior class. You see, in our high school (not sure if it's the same for all of them or not) you only need to take gym ONCE for ONE semester out of your whole high school experience. I was one of those people who slacked off and is now stuck taking it during my senior year. Will I ever learn?

I walked back into the gym area and got in line.

"Now that we're all here we're going to go to the wrestling room. There are some pool rules I need to go over with you all in there, since we've never used the pool before." Mrs. Heart said. The door opened and the other gym teacher and football coach, Mr. Clark stepped out.

"Single file, single file," He boomed. A girl and a boy held hands from behind her back. He slapped them apart. "NO physical contact!" He roared. Did I mention that he's slightly temperamental as well?

Mrs. Heart led us into the pool area guided us into a door on the other side of the room, Mr. Clark bringing up the rear. When we got in the wrestling room, we went over the guidelines of pool safety, behavior, no splashing, etc. As soon as they thought that they had us under control, our gym teachers told us to go back into the pool area and wait for them to come back with equipment, but we were NOT to touch the water.

We walked in a line back into the area and broke off into little groups to talk. I stayed off by myself, being the timid person that I am. Selma Gripp walked past me and I barely acknowledged her smirk before I felt a hand shove me in. Everything went into slow motion.

Since I was near the shallow end, I clumsily fell into the warmed water, the jolts stinging my wounds. My head hit the stairs and I could have SWORN that I saw stars before slumping in, closing my eyes. The jeers and gasps of my classmates above the surface faded away and I couldn't tell left from right.

It seemed as if time stood still, like I had been there for hours and hours but never needed to take a breath of air. Like I didn't need it. I eventually began to comprehend that I needed to get air soon and began to swim in the direction I thought was up. I bumped into something. Preparing for the water to sting my eyes when I opened them, I squinted through half-opened eyes to try and reduce the pain. But what I saw made my eyes bulge out. A behind. A very _naked_ behind. A very naked _male_ behind. I could just tell, okay?

Before the behind could turn around and bless me with another big surprise, I planted my feet on the hard tile surface of the floor and bolted up out of the water, sputtering and coughing. Opening my eyes slowly, I turned up my head. I took in the room for a brief second. It seemed like some kind of city bathhouse, like the kind you could find in an old Greek movie or something. My jaw dropped when I noticed that there were around twenty men already in the water. Twenty, _ahem_…naked men. I grew warm…no, hot…no, _scorching_ with embarrassment. I didn't even give thought to how I got from the school pool to a medieval bathhouse. I couldn't process thought at the moment. At a tap on my shoulder I turned.

A man with black hair was smiling softly at me, blushing under his mild mustache with wide brown eyes. I stared back.

I screamed.

He screamed.

I screamed.

He screamed.

I screamed.

He stopped.

I screamed.

"Whoa, now!" He said, bringing up his hands. "Help!" He called to the other men. They began to slowly circle us. I stopped screaming and took up a defensive posture.

"Stay back, all of you!" I said and they all quick advancing. I MUST say, it is extremely uncomfortable to see a crowd of naked beings walking towards you in a bath while all you have to cover up is a modest one-piece bathing suit. I motioned to them all to clear the way and they formed two little lines. At that point I promptly got my ass out of there and to a large pair of wooden double doors. I threw them open with quite a lot of difficulty and probably looked very comical to the men in the bath. After they were open I slipped and slid down the marble hallway.

I surprisingly didn't see many people in the spacious halls. After rounding a corner and hiding in a little nook, I could let a thought get past my mental barrier:

"Where AM I?"

Then my brain shut off again. I looked around and saw a nice little cloak hanging on a hook. It was a dark purple with red on the inside, and very warm looking. I was pleased to discover that it was as warm as it looked when I put it on. I didn't know how to clasp it, so I just wrapped it around myself. I slipped the hood over my head, telling myself that I'd catch a cold if I let the air get to my wet head. I walked down the halls and almost fainted when I saw a man coming towards me. He looked like a simple servant, carrying some kind of towel into a room I passed. I froze as he passed me and barely returned the automatic nod that he gave me. Didn't I look suspicious in this huge cloak? I shrugged. Time for that later; now I had to find out where I was!

I crept quietly along the wall, nodding and appearing normal to anyone passing by. When I decided that walking around in this huge palace wasn't gonna cut it I began peeking in doors. Mistake…

Lesson One: The type of door indicates the type of room it is. If it's a big grand door it will be a big grand room. I should have known better when I opened the elaborately decorated door with the large banner hanging on it. I slipped inside and rested my head on it, breathing deeply, gathering my wits about me. I heard a cough and bit my lip. I cautiously turned around.

The room had a long, round table in the center, with the entire right side covered in open windows and tapestries lined along the walls to hide the dull stones. At the table sat about thirty men, all dressed like some kind of knights, minus the suits of armor. At the head of the table sat a very old guy with long, stringy gray hair and a very foul expression. Like I'd interrupted something important…

On his right side sat a man with reddish hair and light eyes that I could see from all the way across the room. He had on a red tunic and a dark leather vest that accentuated his muscles and figure nicely, though he was sitting down. Various soldiers (I supposed) were scattered around the table. Papers and maps were settled here and there.

There was another cough and I turned my head again, seeing two guards on either side of me. I regarded them fearfully.

"Remove your hood, soldier." The gray haired man commanded in a nasal voice. He was tapping the table with his fingers under his long sleeves. I looked at the guard's spears and cursed myself. I had been doing so well, too! Why the hell weren't those guards outside the doors, anyway? What good were they _inside_ the room?

"I said, _remove your hood_." The man demanded once more. I gulped and complied, slowly slipping off the hood and blinking at the light that momentarily clouded my vision. A few men gasped; they had obviously been expecting a guy or something. I smiled sheepishly at the astonished looks on their faces. A guard then ripped away my new cloak.

"Hey, hey!" I squealed at the suddenly cold air, grabbing for it. I hugged myself, forgetting all I wore was a swimsuit. The guards looked me up and down, probably admiring my figure more than my attire. I blushed furiously as I concluded that the other men might have been doing so as well. They glanced up at my face, after I shyly snapped my fingers. I laughed nervously.

"Well, uh, first thing is, security around here sucks." I said, flashing an unsure smile.

::..::

A/N: This seemed like an okay spot to end. I think Boromir being paired with someone is a great idea, you hardly ever get romantic fics with him being a main character nowadays. Review, please! Oh, wait, I hope nobody minded that Ivy isn't supposed to be communicating with them, cause they're all speaking Westron and she knows English...I just didn't want to have to get all into that. If you want a story that touches on that, read my other LotR fic, Something Special.


	3. An Interrogation

Murphy's Law

Summary: Ivy isn't appreciated back home and needs a fresh start (don't they always?)…getting pushed into Middle Earth in a freak swimming accident wasn't exactly what she had in mind…BoromirOC.

Okay…I AM SO SORRY! I really am. Its been a while since I've updated this. But thanks to the numerous reviews from my other stories where my faithful reviewers pushed me to update, I have decided to make my new chapter! I mean, but I had a rough couple of months. The love of my life moved away…cries. I got my tonsils taken out and couldn't talk for about a week. I just completed my finals! Oh, and I added my MSN email address to my profile page, so if anyone wants to question me on my story with MSN IM, I'm more than happy to answer!

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"…sucks?" The man with gray hair repeated. I couldn't help myself; I giggled.

"I'm sorry," I said at his befuddled expression, and composed myself quickly. "You just sounded so weird…" I sounded so awkward, and I was nervous. Any idiot could tell. I cleared my throat and looked down. I was cold, nearly nude, and I had no idea where I was. How could I make this situation better?

"I need some help." I said after a moment. "You see, um…I don't know where I am."

Would that even _work_? I didn't know. Probably not.

A guard roughly pulled on my arm and dragged me over to the wall with many windows. He shoved me so that I was nearly being pushed out of them and I looked down. My jaw dropped.

I was REAL high up. I mean, the Sears Tower had nothing on this. It seemed that I was on top of a huge pyramid thing, because there was a ring of land sprouting out from the bottom of each layer, and grew and grew until the bottom half was HUGE. Even though there were only about four or five layers (that I could see, anyway), I was still REALLY high up. There were people moving around on the different layers, and there were little houses lining some of the rings. I could see horses and chickens and all kinds of animals too. Then I looked up beyond the weird city and saw nothing but dry plains as far as the eye could see and maybe an ocean-like body of water to my left. Even if I stretched my vision, all I could see was more field.

Funny…this all reminded me of something familiar…

"I still don't get it." I said, puzzled as a guard whisked me away from the window. "I've never seen this place before in my life…" Then I giggled. Yes I had. In the movie, Lord of the Rings. What was the town called again? Mona, Mena, Mina…

"Minas!" I suddenly cried out. "Minas…Minas what? Oh crap, it's been awhile since I paid attention to that part…"

"Tirith. Minas Tirith." The man with reddish hair next to the gray haired guy answered, seeming annoyed.

"Yeah, Minas Tirith…" Then I stopped. WHOA.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a chair, and the guard who had been watching me was fanning my face.

"Crap…"I breathed. "What happened?"

"You blacked out." The gray haired man answered grimly. I decided that I didn't like him too much. I swatted the guard's hand away, and winced. My face was beginning to sting.

"You are hurt." The guard pointed out unnecessarily. I glared at him.

"You think?" I moved my hand to my cheek. "Ow."

"Take her to the Houses of Healing." The gray haired man ordered, and everyone began to bustle around. He was obviously the man in charge. "But do not forget that a sound interrogation awaits you." He warned. I nodded with shock, stood up, and shivered. The guard noticed. After all, I was still a little damp.

"The Lady is cold." He said, motioning to me. I didn't expect anyone to care, really. I was probably just an insignificant speck compared to them. I was preparing for a cold walk down to wherever the Houses of Healing were when someone cleared his throat. The red haired man stood and extended a cloak to me, and it was the very same cloak I had discovered earlier. How 'bout that.

"Thanks a lot." I said, and eagerly wrapped myself up in it. He smiled gently and sat back down. Where had I seen him before? He looked awfully familiar. In fact, so did the gray looking fellow.

As I was led out of the room and walked down the hall, I wondered what I was going to do in this new place. Was it really Minas Tirith? If it was, I was in trouble. One guard was gone, and the other one whom I was more aquatinted with was walking besides me now, silent and brooding. I cleared my throat.

"I'm Ivy." I said conversationally, and waited. He glanced at me once, but continued to lead me down a lengthy corridor. I took this opportunity to study him. His face was old and young…he was probably middle-aged, or nearly middle-aged. His eyes were very brown and drooped slightly, and his jaw was very pronounced and triangular. He looked very noble with his little spear and his pretty armor…like he was preparing to run off to play Dungeons and Dragons with the other boys.

He caught me looking and I turned away. After a few minutes of silence, he led me down another corridor.

"You interrupted a very important meeting." He said stiffly. I almost asked what it was about, but then it dawned on me that if it was such an important meeting, he wouldn't be allowed to tell what it was about. And besides, he was a guard. He probably wasn't even licensed to listen in on the big secret. As a matter of fact, I bet all guards had to go through some kind of training where when they were told not to listen, they somehow blocked out all the sound from their ears or something. It was like the aborigines, who trained themselves to breathe through their nose and mouth at the same time! You know what I mean?

I voiced these thoughts to my one and only friend. He listened patiently until we entered a building with flowers and herbs in pots on the inside.

"I mean, do they give you earplugs, too? Wait, duh. This is Middle Earth, of course they don't. There are no such things as earplugs. You probably don't even know what I'm talking about. Hold on, maybe you _do_ have them but you call them by a different word…lemme explain."

I went into full detail the complexity of the earplug. When he got me to a bed, he sat me down and silenced me with a finger to my lips.

"You are very strange." He said bluntly, and whistled a nurse over. They exchanged words, and then he faced me once she had run off to somewhere. "You will stay here until you have been properly tended to." He said softly. Then he leaned down, once he made sure that no one was watching. "I am Halisthar." He murmured quietly, and then straightened himself up. The nurse returned and opened my mouth with her fingers. I didn't like that, so I closed my mouth again.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, eyeing the liquid she had been holding to my lips.

"It is a sleeping drought." She said kindly. "You look tired. I was going to tend to your wounds while you slept."

That didn't sound like too bad a plan. I stared at the light green potion. "What does it taste like?" I asked warily. She smiled.

"It might be quite unsavory," She admitted. "But it will do you well in the long run. Please, miss, you have to cooperate."

Seeing that I didn't have much of a choice, I pinched the bridge of my nose and let the lady help me drink the stuff. It wasn't too bad, but it was kind of chunky, like it still had mashed up leaves in it or something like that. When I let go of my nose, there was a sour aftertaste. I scrunched up my face.

"How long will it take to work?" I asked her. She set the cup on a stool and laid down some washcloths.

"A few minutes." She said softly, and began to hum. I dragged my tongue across the roof of my mouth, trying to rid myself of the evil tasting liquid. But I did feel a little drowsier.

_When will it work?_ I found myself wondering. _I bet I could go to sleep myself faster._

As I got bored, I found myself getting very sleepy. _Okay, if this stuff doesn't work soon, I think I'll just go to sleep on my own…_

I closed my eyes experimentally, and found that opening them again was too much work, so I just left them closed. _I'll count backwards from ten._ I thought stubbornly.

Ten…nine…eight… 

I fell asleep before I reached the number five.

--------------------

I awoke to a humming noise. I turned on my side sleepily to see the same nurse, dipping a cloth in some purple powder. She looked at me.

"Oh, I didn't expect you up for a while!" She said worriedly. "I'm not finished."

"Its okay." I said, sitting up. "It's not like you were stitching me up or anything. I can take it."

She sighed. "Yes, you're right." She moved the powered cloth and let it rest on my cheek. "I managed to tend to the scrapes on your back and your neck. Hold this there, please." She instructed, and I did as I was told. Suddenly five people burst loudly into the room. The other occupants besides me gasped. The nurse stood up.

"Hail, Steward," She said, bowing low. "My Lord, you shouldn't be here…the sick and—"

"Where is the girl?" The gray-haired man demanded. I was wide-awake now. The woman trembled at his voice, but didn't answer.

_Good for you!_ I cheered silently.

"Where IS SHE?" He asked with a commanding voice. The nurse looked over her shoulder and pointed a reluctant finger at me.

No! Thanks a lot! 

The Steward walked towards my bed and I leaned deeper into my near flattened pillow. He stopped at my bedside and leaned down.

"My guard says you have been talking of strange things," He began. "things that have never before been heard in all of Gondor. Tell me, where did you hear of such nonsense?" I looked over his shoulder to see Halisthar, looking slightly guilty. I mouthed 'you suck!' in his general direction. Then I turned my head to see a very unhappy Steward.

"I heard those things in World History," I said slowly. I didn't wanna make him madder. "Like, we had to study all sorts of countries and their military. Like, how Queen Elizabeth hired a double agent to decipher and send her the codes that her cousin Mary was writing in order to take the throne—"

"Who is this Queen Elizabeth?" He asked sternly. "Is she a threat to me and my country? Are you a royal spy? I know if you are lying."

I let out a smile, and then a bark of laughter. "Um…I think she died a LONG time ago." I said, through my giggles. "Like, nearly four hundred years back or something…" At his serious expression, I stopped. "Ah…well…what else do you want to know?" I asked.

"What is your name?"

"Ivy Elaine Brooklyn. I'm eighteen."

"Where are you from?"

"Connecticut, in the United States of America."

He snapped his fingers. A man with shaggy reddish hair appeared next to him.

"Father?"

"Faramir, have you ever heard of a place called Con…Connet…"

"Connecticut." I supplied helpfully.

"Yes. Well?"

Faramir thought for a moment but ended up shaking his head. "Never, my Lord."

"Is it on the maps? Is it an island?"

"I do not know."

The Steward was silent and several seconds, and he stared at his son. "Well go find out!" He snapped. Faramir looked momentarily hurt, but nodded his head curtly and left the room. Another man with darker hair watched him leave with a pained face. It was the guy who lent me his cloak.

"Are you Denethor?" I asked slowly to my interrogator. The gray haired man looked at me.

"How would you know?" He questioned. I gulped. His gaze was unwavering.

"Father, let her rest." It was the man with dark hair. "She has been through much toil." I looked at him in surprise. Denethor turned his head around so fast that I expected him to have whiplash a few days later.

"Boromir," He said softly. "This is none of your concern. She is a prisoner, and therefore by my law she is to be questioned and, if need be, executed."

"Executed?" I whispered. Like, with guillotines and a noose? Or would he just line up a bunch of archers and have them fire on his command? I was feeling slightly sick.

"If I may, my Lord, let me interview her." Boromir suggested. "We could be somewhere private and I shall need to know how to go about things of this nature if I am to be a Steward like yourself one day." Denethor was considering this request. I took into account that he was far calmer when he was talking to Boromir. It was as if just looking at Faramir made him agitated. He sighed.

"So be it." He said. He straightened up and left my bedside. Boromir took his place and pulled up a stool to sit on.

"May we have a curtain?" He asked the nurse. "It would be far more easier to answer questions with privacy." He said to me. I nodded and the nurse went into a separate room. She came out holding two screens, and another man followed her carrying a third one.

"We have no curtains at the moment, but these will do just the same." She said, setting one up on either side of my bed, and one at the end. They were just plain and white canvas screens. On the other side of them I could hear her requesting to the Steward that he leave the Houses of Healing. I heard a door slam, so I assumed that they had left. I turned my attention back to the man sitting near me. He was watching me curiously.

"I am only supposing that you are frightened." He said softly. His voice, now that it was closer to me, sounded very deep and masculine. I looked away. "Naturally, anyone would be frightened in your position." He continued. "Since you have been asked so many things of yourself already, I am leaving it to you to ask anything of me that you wish." He folded his arms and silently waited.

"Would I really be executed?" I asked, saying the thing that had been crowding my thoughts for the last few minutes. He looked down.

"Only if we find a reason to." He said. "And knowing my father, he will find every reason to. That is why I am hoping you are not a threat." He looked up at me.

"I'm not." I assured him. "I don't even know how I got here."

"Where did you say you were from, if you do not mind my asking?"

"Connecticut." I repeated. It felt nice to say it, like just saying the word made me feel closer to home. "It's in the United States, which is part of a continent called North America. North America is part of the world, Earth."

"I have never heard of any of those places." He said, confused. "And believe me, little one, I have heard of many places in my existence."

"Well, you shouldn't have. It's on EARTH. This is Middle Earth." I folded my arms, identically to his. "Two different worlds." He looked at me skeptically.

"Are you suggesting to me that you've traveled through worlds?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know what I did. I'm still trying to find out." Boromir looked to be in deep thought. "What is it?" I asked worriedly.

"There seems to be a strange phenomena of unnatural occurrences lately." He pondered. "My brother, Faramir, and I, both had a similar dream."

"About Isildur's Bane." I confirmed, nodding. He looked at me oddly.

"How did you know?" He exclaimed. "We have told no one!" I bit my lip.

"Are you going to the Council of Elrond?" I asked him instead of answering his question. He narrowed his eyes.

"No one outside of the Royal Council has known of that." He said darkly. I blinked and shrugged.

"Like I said…two different worlds." He watched me carefully.

"I am going to the Council alone." He said stiffly. "My brother would have accompanied me, or better yet, have gone in my place. But I must accept my responsibility as future Steward."

His death, something I had seen over and over in the movie, flashed before my eyes. I suddenly felt sad for him.

"Yes." I said after a second. "You should." There was a tense silence, where we were both in deep thought.

"Take me with you." I spoke up. He looked me in the eye.

"Why should I?" He asked, smirking.

"Because there is no one to help me here!" I reasoned. "There are far more wiser beings in Rivendell."

"Are you implying that my father is an incompetent Steward?" His temper flared. I raised my brows.

"I'm thinking no such thing." I said, trying to convince him. "But speaking to Lord Elrond or Gandalf might answer my questions. They've been around far longer than your father has." Boromir gazed at me intently.

"Gandalf the Gray? What an old fool." He nearly spat. I cocked my head.

"Who told you that?" I asked, shocked at his reaction.

"My father." He said. "Gandalf is nothing more than a foolhardy magician with preposterous ideas that he pulls out of his pointed hat." My mouthed dropped open.

"Have you even met Gandalf?" I stuttered.

"Faramir has, but I'm not to go by his word. He's taken a liking to him."

"You'd trust your father over your brother?" I was astounded. He didn't answer me.

"If your dad told you to jump off the Beacon of Gondor right now, would you do it?" I watched his face. "No…" I stared harder. "Oh my God." His face remained indifferent. I leaned into my pillow.

"My father is a wise, powerful man." Boromir said coldly. Uncomfortable with the way this conversation was heading, I touched my cheek. The powder I had been using to disinfect it was sitting next to me, long forgotten. I picked the cloth back up and held it to my cut once again. I wasn't sure if I was getting it all or not, and I was very frustrated. A hand on top of mine made me glance up. Boromir had stood from his stool and was taking the cloth from me. He doused it in powder and gently held it to my cheek. His face was blank and a mask of concentration hid his features. His eyes, however, were soft, and so very green. I found myself looking into those eyes that were only inches from my face. They met mine and turned from soft into entranced.

I couldn't look away from him. His hand was still atop mine, dusting my cheek with the powdery cloth. He was _right there_.

"This is a very long cut." He observed, breaking the silence. He removed his hand from mine. "And you're wrists are very swollen."

"From my father." I said with a blank face. His face grew pitying.

"Perhaps…" He started. "…perhaps I could take you with me." I was surprised.

"That's a very nice thing to do." I said gratefully. "But isn't that an important decision to make?"

"Aye." He nodded. "It is. But certain circumstances have proved to be far more insistent." I looked down at my wrists, which were indeed bruised and reddened.

"But I won't be executed, right?"

He smiled. "For what I can tell, you will not."

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YES! Nice and long, was it not? Please review, I'd like to know if I should keep this story going or not. The only way I'll know is with REVIEWS! P.S. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy Hanukah, and Happy New Years to everyone reading this story…and um, yay for Epiphany, if anyone still celebrates that day!

And now for some lyrics from one of my FAVORITE Christmas songs:

Its gonna be a Merry, Merry, Merry Frickin' Christmas!  
All you New York Yankees fans can kiss this!  
The tree, the gifts, the mistletoe kiss,  
Swing, a miss, Steinbrenner's really pissed…  
Have a Merry, Merry, Merry Frickin' Christmas!


	4. Sad Departures

Murphy's Law

Summary: Ivy isn't appreciated back home and needs a fresh start (don't they always?)…getting pushed into Middle Earth in a freak swimming accident wasn't exactly what she had in mind…BoromirOC.

Wow. Don't I feel bad…I haven't updated in awhile…I just hope you all can accept my most sincere apologies. I literally finished 'Something Special' and then got right on writing this. Things in the family department have been crazy during the year '05. I have a new kitten! Dance practice has started up again at 6:00 a.m. (cries). In any case, I have brought you the next chapter.

* * *

Getting Denethor's consent to let me go to Rivendell with Boromir was hard. Really hard.

It involved days of bugging and compromising. Not that I did any of this, no way. Boromir did it all. Though I'm not sure that 'bugging' was the right word. It was probably more like 'father-son begging'.

I don't know how Boromir even changed Denethor's mind. I mean, he seemed very stubborn and stuck in his ways. But he reminds me of myself, in the sense that if I had been told that I couldn't go, I would have probably found my own way out. But doesn't Gondor have gates or something around it? I couldn't remember.

I came upon Faramir some weeks before Boromir and I were due to leave. I noticed as the days went by that no one really paid much mind to Faramir, and he was actually a great person. Whenever his father was near or someone talked down to him, his eyes got faraway and obeying and his face just tightened up. However, around people who never judged him, like servants or Boromir, he was relaxed and playful.

It didn't take him long to open up to me, mainly because right away I could sympathize with him. His mother was gone, like mine, and our fathers didn't exactly see eye to eye with us either. Our siblings always seemed to get the glory and love that we craved. He was probably the person I hung out most with when I was in Minas Tirith.

About a week before Boromir and I had to leave, his father sent Faramir on a scouting trip. He left without complaint, but I secretly knew that he was upset that he couldn't come to Rivendell. From what I had heard from Boromir and Faramir, it was Faramir's dream of Isildur's Bane first, and it was unfair that Boromir was chosen to go instead of him. Boromir had argued Faramir's case with their father, but his will was firm and Faramir was to remain in Gondor.

To my delight, Faramir showed up the day that we were to leave. I was packing some traveling clothes given to me and was gathering things like brushes and…girly things…when I heard voices outside in the hall. Whoever it was, they were being really loud. I popped my head out of the door to see the commotion, and to my surprise, it was Boromir and Faramir, laughing and hugging.

"Faramir!" I squealed and took off running down the hall, undergarments draped over my shoulder and a comb stuck in my untamed morning hair. To make matters worse, I practically jumped on him as a hello.

"Why, hello, Ivy!" He said, grinning much like his brother.

"Hi! I'm so glad you made it!" I said, squeezing him tightly. "I hoped that you'd make it back in time to say goodbye!"

"I could never truly part from my brother and my friend without saying my farewells," He said pulling back, still smiling warmly. "What have you left to pack?"

"Oh, things," I said, forgetting the comb and undergarments.

"We see," Boromir said, amused. I was confused for a few moments before the swinging weight of the revealing corset around my arm caught my attention. I was also aware of my horrible, tangled hair. I suddenly blushed.

"I…um…" I turned around. "Oh…" Then I scrambled back to my room without a word. Talk about embarrassment. I hadn't even known these dudes for a full month and here I was, torturing myself with underwear and a bad hair day.

I hastily shoved the offending corset into my saddlebag and plucked the comb from my hair, dragging out a few hairs painfully. I was so wrapped up in my task that I didn't notice Boromir and Faramir watching me from the doorway.

"Stupid, stupid…and its not like I'm going to wear you as some kind of item of seduction, anyway," I muttered, burrowing to the bottom of my bag for some hair bands to tie my hair up with. "Yeah, great, Ivy. Seduce Boromir with underwear to make a prostitute blush while we're out camping in the middle of nowhere." I started laughing at the thought of Boromir and I being alone in the wilderness, without people around or anything. His father must have been REALLY confident in him to let him travel from Minas Tirith to Rivendell alone, or at least with a lady who had NO previous self-defense training.

I turned around to find a mirror so I could see my mess of a mop that I call hair when I saw the two men regarding me strangely from the door.

I gaped.

How much did they hear?

I squeaked.

They cracked smiles.

"Though I would like to have you try out that rather alluring item of clothing, I fear that it may take too much attention from our travels," Boromir stated wryly, Faramir behind him grinning.

I looked hopelessly on at them.

"Leave," I said, my face cherry-red. "Just go and spare the rest of my dignity."

His expression softened, but he did back up and out of the doorway.

"We will come to get you when we must depart," Boromir said, and bowed. "Come, brother." And so Faramir and him left, turning a corner and out of sight. I let out a breath of air and closed the door. I felt badly for having them leave the way they did, but this really wasn't the time for their jokes. I was seriously frazzled, waking up early but seemingly having no time at all to get anything done. My hair had decided that today would be the day that it would not cooperate and I angrily ripped the hair tie from my locks when a huge section of hair just fell out from it.

I decided to not bother with my hair, as I was getting nowhere with it, and resolved myself to finish packing. I still had my school swimsuit and I now held it up. I ultimately decided to take it with me. If I got the chance to bathe, and I prayed to GOD that I did, I would rather have that on than be totally nekkid. And after the problem with Boromir just now, it wouldn't do too well to be in nothing but my skin while I was near him. Even if bathing suits were just a step up from nudity and showy underwear, it was better than nothing. He'd deal.

After nearly forty minutes of obsessing and nail biting, I found myself lugging my saddlebags out and down the hall. Though I had stayed here for about a month, it was still like a maze to me, and I never wanted to run into Denethor or someone equally unpleasant, so I usually just stayed in my room. Unless, of course, I was in the presence of Boromir or Faramir. Faramir was more likely to hang out with me, as Boromir was always busy, being a Captain-General, you know.

But now, I would make up for lost time with Boromir by traveling with him to a common destination. I had read the books and knew that Boromir would take at least three months to get to Rivendell. I'd like to think that we would have done some serious bonding on the way there.

I frowned. Being alone with Boromir for three months could be strange to most. I wondered how the nobles and townspeople must think of me. They would obviously think that we would have something going on…

I shrugged. _Let them think what they want_, I thought. However, it did make me feel a little upset to know that people were judging me before they got the whole story. What frustrated me even more was that I couldn't tell anyone else of where I came from and what I planned to do to get back. It was as if I wasn't in control.

It reminded me of that one time when I was ten and I wore this awesome dress for picture day, but my friend Amber spilled milk on it. For the rest of the day I walked around, trying to cover up the stain with my sweater, but people kept pointing and laughing. To make matters worse, Amber had told everyone else that I was clumsy and spilled in on myself, so no one believed me say that it was HER fault. I didn't feel like I was in control of the situation.

I felt this way now.

Oh, and being pulled into Middle Earth - THAT was TOTALLY not in my control, either.

But I was going to go to Rivendell and fix the problem now. Everything would be better, eventually. This wasn't my world, and as horrible as it was for me to admit it, I needed to go home. Even if Middle Earth was really kick ass.

* * *

Before I knew it, we were outside the Citadel getting ready to leave.

"Do you ride?" Boromir asked as he prepared a horse. I opened my mouth to tell him no, but then shut it and opted for a little head shake instead.

"Not at all?" He asked, seeming distraught. I shook my head again.

"No," I said, eyeing the sturdy chocolate stallion that he was readying. "Why, is that a problem?"

He regarded me carefully, then shook his head.

"I doubt it will be hindering to us, as this horse is built for labor and strength," He sighed. "It would have helped, though, if you had some riding experience."

I grew angry at being talked to that way. "Excuse me," I said in defense. "but _maybe_ you could have asked me this sooner during the past MONTH that I was here and _maybe_ then you could have given me pointers! Then we wouldn't be in this situation." I folded my arms. He looked slightly hurt at being yelled at. Really, I didn't yell at him. Just kind of reprimanded him.

"I apologize, Lady," He said, taking my saddlebags and hooking them nicely onto the horse. "It is only my concern that we may take longer than expected to reach our destination, as this horse may tire from all our weight. There are times, I'm afraid, where we must walk instead of ride. I hope you aren't reconsidering your decision to come with me."

I managed a small smile, and tried to salvage the rest of my pride. "Well, it isn't like I have a choice, anyway." I said lightly and left the stables to find Faramir.

* * *

We were both walking down a path outside the Citadel overlooking all of Minas Tirith. There were bulky white stones all around and when you compared it to the diversity of the city below and the green of the grass in the courtyard behind, it was all very beautiful.

"Well, Faramir," I spoke softly, not wanting to break the peaceful trance that I was in. "I suppose that this is goodbye." He turned to me, a sad smile.

"Not forever," He said, cocking his head and looking down at me. I suddenly felt really sad.

"Yes, actually…" I said, and the look he gave me then broke my heart. "Maybe forever."

"But why?" He cried out, stepping away from me.

"I'm going to Rivendell to find out how to get home," I explained. "If I get the help I'm looking for…then I'll be gone. And I don't know how I'd get back." I was very depressed. Why couldn't Faramir come with us?

"I see," Faramir spoke quietly in a resigned voice. "I see that you must go, for your own good." He stepped nearer to me. "You have been a valuable friend to me, Lady Ivy. I thank you for your company and wish you good luck on your quest."

I smiled. "Thank you, Faramir. It's wonderful that we aren't parting on bad terms." I looked over the city thoughtfully. "But you never know. The world works in mysterious ways. We may end up meeting again."

He took hold of my hands and held them gently for several moments, and then after sharing one last warm smile, he released his hold and went off to find Boromir.

I came upon them, talking to each other in the stables. Not wanting to ruin their moment, I stole away in one of the stalls and waited for them to finish so that I could announce to Boromir that their father wanted to speak to him.

"I cannot help but wonder if this is right," Faramir was saying to him, looking very disheveled and worn. "It was my dream first! How could father—"

"Little Brother, we have been over this before," Boromir said, and patted his shoulder tenderly. "Father is only concerned about making certain that I have fair experience dealing with these matters. Do not take him personally, for I am sure that he has high expectations for you also."

"Not bloody likely," Faramir turned his head down. "Everyone can plainly tell that you are his favorite, not me."

"Do not say that!" Boromir said, chastising him. "This is not how I want to remember my little brother: a bitter man with resentment towards myself and our father."

There was silence. Then Faramir laughed. "I apologize, Boromir. I am making a downpour out of a drizzle, and feel silly for doing so."

They shared a manly hug for a few moments, then Faramir spoke.

"You're coming back soon, aren't you, Brother?"

"Aye, of course," Boromir said, incredulously. "Why would you ask that?"

"It's just…" Faramir laughed again. "My apologies. Why bother with intuition? I know that you will be safe and sound upon your return."

"Do not forget it," Boromir said airily. Then more seriously, "Faramir, I promise, I'm coming home. Do what you can to keep yourself preoccupied and eventually, it will be like I've never left."

As they left the stables, they past me, sitting on the ground in pure shock, tears gathering in my eyes. I never let them run, but the pure heartache of knowing that Boromir would never come home unleashed an unmeasurable sorrow in me for Faramir. Those two obviously loved each other very much. In the books, wasn't Faramir the one to see Boromir's body in the boat floating out to sea?

I took several minutes to compose myself, and when I was sure that I wouldn't burst into tears the moment I left stall, I exited and walked in the direction of the two brothers.

* * *

Denethor found Boromir and Faramir on his own, as I probably took too long waiting for them to finish their conversation. Wee, one more reason for him to find me suspicious. I would have argued with him that I _was_ going to tell them if he hadn't been so darn impatient, but then I seriously thought.

_Arguing with the Steward of Gondor, who is practically royalty as far as ruling the city goes…nope, rather not._

Besides, I was still holding him to his word about the entire 'execution' deal. I mean, he was basically a crazy old crackpot in the books and movies, so why _wouldn't_ he hesitate to command guards to take hold of my arms and pull until I was ripped in two? Or worse, he'd make me stand outside the citadel and make me wear a humiliation mask like they did in medieval times.

In any case, I avoided him as much as I could until he came to see Boromir and I off on our journey.

Boromir gave me a leg up and I swung onto his horse first, then he followed, tugging the reigns slightly. The horse ventured close to the line of people seeing us off, though I wished we could just leave already because it was making me nervous.

"Hail Lord Boromir, Son of Denethor, Captain-General of the Gondorian forces, prince of the City, " A guard belted out and several people raised their hands in prayer. Denethor spoke next, his voice dripping with pride for his oldest and firstborn son.

"May the Valar watch over your treacherous journey and give you the blessing of safe travels," He said, raising his hand once more.

"Hail!" Several people cried out.

And then something altogether unexpected happened.

"And may the Valar watch over Lady Ivy, and bless her quest to find a way home!" Faramir suddenly called, apparently miffed in the sense that Denethor was going to ignore me this whole time. The said Steward turned to his son and gave him an icy glare, but I was too embarrassed to really notice. People had turned their attention to me, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

"Here, here!" Boromir called out appraisingly, and several others did also, to my surprise. In fact, most of them appeared to be high-ranking servants who I had befriended when I had no one else to talk to. Sometimes it pays to be nice.

A few noblewomen were staring at me oddly and jealously as Boromir and I rode past them. I supposed they would kill to be riding on a horse with him. I really hoped that they didn't know that I would be on this horse with him until October. A richer woman who looked more his age, if you know what I mean, stepped up to the horse and presented him with some wildflowers.

"Have a safe journey, my lord Captain," The woman said, eyeing him longingly as he took the flowers from her jeweled hand.

"Thank you for your generosity," He responded, and I noticed that his voice had gone straight into 'Hero' mode. That is, it got deeper and more authoritative. It was really funny to hear him talking that way. I didn't bust out laughing, but damn, it was hard not to.

The woman smiled sweetly and stepped back into a line of other noblemen.

Then Boromir scared me half to death and kicked the horse into high gear, meaning that he literally _kicked_ it and it took off galloping down through the seven tiers of the city. I had never really ridden horses before, so this first experience scared the HELL out of me.

"Do not stiffen," He said, trying to calm me. "Horses know your fear of them and that fear causes their misbehavior and unease. You must relax."

So I tried my best to. I closed my eyes and thought back to how peaceful it had been when Faramir and I were overlooking the city while saying our good-byes. Though it was a pretty day, it was sort of breezy, and I was glad that Gondorian traveling clothes were fit for harsher weather conditions. The wind rushing past me because of the horse's rampant speed only increased this fact.

And as we flew past the gates of Minas Tirith and into the Pelennor Fields, I never once noticed that Boromir had placed a perfectly formed daisy into my hair.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope that was long enough for you guys to suck on until I make more! Of course, you would all like me to update right away no matter what…but this takes lots of time. I wrote this in two days, after I resigned myself to finishing this chapter. Now we just have to get through the three months of traveling…110 days and 400 leagues to go! Romance? Maaaaaybe…

Please review!


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